more than I even saw
by inu okami wolf
Summary: just a little encounter, that was enough to show Hakumen that perhaps, Tsubaki was the woman most important of his life as a major of the NOL, but someone who always stood by his side even when he didn't deserve it
OST : pinky promise /watch?v=vzTSIM32r70

stardust memory yakusoku no basho (place of promise) : /watch?v=IP8t6gcr72g

since Fanfiction don't allow the link, ad Youtube to the URL to hear them if you want to

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A young girl entered a meadow on the forest, her home just a steps behind her, her older brother Ragna had fallen sleep on a near tree with a gentle light and a nice breeze, she knew he would be worried if he woke up and she wasn't around but Saya had something important to do, on her eyes it was something important, her other Brother Jin just saw her walking away before looking other side, Saya released a heavy sight but after that looked to the forest with a great amount of determination for someone of her age, the sister had told them to be careful in case something happened, the area was safe but there were some animals but most of them where harmless, Saya got deeper on the forest, her small size made the walk longer that needed even more when her frail health got her on a coughing fit, she rested some seconds on a near tree despite the pain that usually caused for her, she was accustomed to it, normally she would continue resting until the pain stopped, but she had to hurry, Saya continued the walk between the forest, she had never been so far of the church and never without the watch of an adult but her mission drove her to continue despite the pain, it was hard to endure but her eyes where burning at her desire of reach her goal, not much later Saya reached the desired goal, a little flower meadow she had heard the sister of growing nearby, slowly she kneeled to smell the flowers as a gentle breeze came to hit her on the face, even something as delicate as that caused her illness to show again, Saya looked a little deeper on the flowers to see some butterflies flying around her towards the sky, their colors dazzling the young girl, all of them flew away, all but one that stayed there only to head to the girl that used her hands as a platform for the small bug to land, she could close her hands and capture it but she merely breathed giving the insect wind where flip it's winds and fly away with his friend while the young girl waved goodbye with a smile, her eyes closing at the sudden sunlight entering

"Ok Saya" said the young girl "the flowers are ready, but is kinda sad, if I take them, other people will not see them"

Saya dropped again her body and sat down as another coughing fit attacked her, it was painful for her and walking so much was worsening her illness, but her determination didn't changed, she had to pick up the flowers she saw on the book, she was sure Jin would like them, she lowered her head to get closer and recognize those flowers, but they weren't near, instead she had to look up to some colors, on the branch of a tree, the flowers she had been searching for

"There they are" said Saya happy "but they are very high"

Saya looked up, the tree wasn't very tall but she was completely barefoot, it was clear that it was going to be hard and she was conscious that even if from a short distance a fall can be lethal if you can't land correctly

"No Saya, you are doing this for him" said the girl "you can do it, you have to"

Saya used her rather small hands to climb the log, it was green and smooth, the branches where high as the girl continued her hard mission, after some landing on the ground she managed to reach a branch capable of hold her weight, her small body forced her to extend her hands to the maximum, it had taken her a long time but she managed to get a bouquet of those flowers

"He he" said Saya her eyes shining with happiness "camellia Japonica, also called Tsubaki, I hope Jin likes them, they are really pretty"

Saya sat down on the floor to catch her breath, her hands and feet had some bruises and hurted but seeing the beautiful flowers made her feel that all the pain was worthy of it, Saya turned her head at the sound of some of some bushed near her moving, she was expecting some animal, mostly foxes or some deer's where around but it was like nothing she had even come to see, that creature looked at the girl as she picked up the flowers and ran away, only to fall to the ground whit the creature getting closer to the fatal hit as she tried to protect the flowers hiding them on her chest avoiding to crush them, she closed her eyes hoping to at least have a fast end but she only heard a loud thump as the creature feel to the ground, slowly the girl opened her eyes, only to meet her savior, at first a human figure but as she examined him she saw her error, it's body was covered on a white armor, red eyes on his body, his face covered completely by a white mask whit a long silver ponytail, his hands holding a long sword leading it to her back showing the sheath, his feet claws whit three pointy ends, Saya covered the flowers, unsure of if she was saved, or rather something else had come to take her short life

"You" said the man his deep voice would have sound menacing for anyone but for Saya it was strangely calming, almost as if a knight on shining armor had come to save her "what are you doing here?"

"I, um" said Saya, the sister that took care of her told her many times to not speak with strangers and she would have disobeyed if not for another coughing fit after the run she performed trying to save her life, the warrior only stood there for a second before kneeling down almost looking at her "I'm sorry, I`m fine"

"Good" said the warrior "now answer, what are you doing here?"

"I" started Saya "I came to pick up some flowers"

"Flowers?" asked the warrior, on her voice it was hard to notice but a hint of surprise "surely there are more places with flowers"

Saya nodded at that "yeah, but I heard that only in here you could find these" said Saya before realizing that despite all her efforts the camellias she picked up had been destroyed "the flowers"

Saya looked up at the three again, she let the flowers alongside it almost as bringing the body of someone to rest on his land before trying again to reach the flowers as the warrior looked at her, he knew of her weak condition, he had come to hate this girl on the past, now he only saw a girl going against all common sense for some flowers, and most surely they were for her family, his older brothers Jin and Ragna, and Celica Mercury, the woman who was raising them

"almost" said Saya before her feet's feel of the tree avoid to hit the ground, only to be stopped by a hand picking her up, she was small but it was necessary some force to stop a fall like that only with a hand

"You are not going to accomplish nothing but pain" said the warrior

"I don't care" said the girl "I can take it, if it's for my family I can endure all the pain of the world"

The girl tried to reach again the flowers, the warrior merely raised his head, and he never came to see this side of the young girl, she was going through all of this for someone else the girl almost feel again only to be stooped by his hand again, not much later he raised his hand helping her

"Thanks mister" said Saya to the warrior

"Hakumen" replied the warrior

"thanks mister Hakumen" said the young girl reaching the flowers only to almost fall again once she had enough, instead of the tree, of the branch that broke as Hakumen picked her up on her arms

"I owe my life twice now" said Saya "thanks you mister Hakumen" said the young green eyed girl making a bow walking home

"Can you even walk?" asked the warrior, he could notice she was stumbling

"O yeah, is nothing" said the young blonde "I can look after myself"

Saya tried to continue walking only to hold her toe in pain, she had hurted her toe while climbing but she had to go back, only to fall on another coughing fit, she sat on the ground to recover, Hakumen looked at her, that girl was something he hated for a long time, once he even tried to kill her, now he had saved her life and worried over something as simple as a minor injury, the leader of the six heroes sat at her side as Saya managed to stop for a while her cough on will power to thank him, the warrior looked at the tree, it stood there among the lesser flowers, it's shade made some whiter just as he saw he young girl stand up to walk her home

"Thank you again for everything mister Hakumen" said Saya "I hope we meet again"

Saya walked back to the church, but not alone Hakumen followed her from the shadows, only to see her brother searching for her and himself with a smirk at her disappearance, that smirk going away as she appeared to view

"Saya" said the young by now blonde boy called Ragna "are you ok? Where were you? You had me worried"

"I'm ok Big bro, I just went away for some time" said Saya

"Your hands are bleeding, hold on, I'll bring some bandages" said Ragna heading inside the church

"Jin" said Saya heading closer to her older brother

"What?" asked the boy with clear disgust on his face and voice

"I have brought you some flowers" said the young girl showing him the beautiful flowers she had put so much effort on collect

Jin merely grabbed the flowers as Saya smiled only to drop them smiling as the girl smile disappeared

"They are horrible, almost as much as you" said Jin walking away as Saya looked at the flowers once more picking them up

"Hey" said Ragna "come on, the sister is going to heal those feet of yours"

Saya forced a smile as she followed Ragna helping her to walk, once the children disappeared Hakumen headed to the flowers to gently grab them, after all that Saya had gone trough, her brother, no, not his brother, he dropped them and insulted her because he wanted, and still she didn't shouted or get angry at him, she merely looked the flowers and forced a smile for everyone, how many times he made her suffer like that? How many times Saya tried to make him happy only to receive insults and acting as if she was a demon that had to be destroyed? a part of him made him feel as a creature even worse that the black beast he had slain so long ago, even a creature like that, came from Ragna and he showed a great care and love for her sister, all he did was kill his family, Hakumen took the beautiful flowers, on his past perhaps he would have managed to smile, Camellia, also called Tsubaki, flowers handpicked by her sister, the flower that gave name to the woman he loved, one of them at least, he looked the church to see Saya reading a book, the young girl saw him and waved her hand, the warrior merely looked at her to later gave her back and for once smile at the young girl he had the chance to know, that helped him realize how much he had received even from the people he least imagined, even when anyone else would have turn their back for less

"Take care" said Hakumen looking at the flowers holding them on his fist avoiding to crush them under his strength "my dear lil sis"


End file.
